This salad is my new obsession. It is the ultimate lunch salad. It has fiber out the wazoo, crunchy hazelnuts, salty feta, juicy pomegranate arils, and it just gets better in the fridge over the week. I will be eating this salad for the rest of my life. The dressing is tangy and sweet and a perfect little pick me up. It is the embodiment of winter. I can go on and on, but just make this salad! You will not regret it.

This recipe is not simple, but simpler. Trust me when I say the effort is worth the reward. If you’re in a pinch, go for frozen sweet potatoes and make your children pick out all the pomegranate arils (with an apron for juice splatters!). The one drawback is that it requires pomegranate molasses, which can be hard to find. It is essential for this recipe though, and I would not sub it out.

Quinoa Salad with Honey Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato (or 2 cups frozen)

2 sprigs fresh thyme

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup hazelnuts

1 ½ cups quinoa

3 cups vegetable broth

2 leeks

4 ounces feta cheese

1 pomegranate

2 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses

1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1 small shallot

1 Tablespoon honey

¼ teaspoon salt

a few cracks of fresh black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425*F. 
2. Peel sweet potato. 
3. Dice sweet potato. Ask a grown up for help getting the sweet potato flat or even into french fry shapes first. Add to a large bowl.
4. Wash thyme and pick leaves off of hardy stems. Add to sweet potatoes. 
5. Toss sweet potato with 2 Tablespoons olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a few cracks of black pepper. Pour your sweet potatoes onto a rimmed sheet pan. Roast in your oven until they are soft and slightly blackened, 20-25 minutes. 
6. Cut off the dark green top of your leeks and the root end. Slice your leeks and then wash them very well in a fine mesh sieve. Leeks hold a large amount of dirt inside their layers. Set your leeks aside on a plate and rinse out your sieve.
7. Wash your quinoa in the mesh sieve very well to remove the bitter dust that is on it. Use your hand to move it around under the water stream. 
8. Once your sweet potatoes are done, lower your oven to 350*F. Place your hazelnuts on a sheet pan and toast them in the oven until they smell nice and their skins are dark and crinkly. 
9. Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil and your sliced leeks to a large, heavy bottomed pot. Saute your leeks in oil over medium heat until they are lightly browned. 
10. Add your quinoa to toast it in oil. You’ll know you’re done when the quinoa smells nice and nutty. Keep stirring it so that it doesn’t burn. 
11. Add your vegetable stock, stir, and heat over high until it simmers. Lower heat to low and cook until almost all of your stock is absorbed (about 10 minutes). Cover your pot. 
12. Start your dressing by mincing your shallot. 
13. Combine your 2 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses, 1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar, minced shallot, 1 Tablespoon honey, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a few cracks of fresh black pepper into a small bowl. Whisk fast until it all looks the same. Add to your leek-quinoa mix and stir to combine. 
14. Make sure you have an apron for this part! Cut your pomegranate in half (ask for grown up help). Remove the arils (seed things) from your pomegranate. It helps to place the chunk you’re working on in a bowl of water. The white pith will float and you can scoop it away, and the arils will sink. Once you’re ready, pour off the water and the white pith should go with it. 
15. To serve, add leek-quinoa to a bowl. Top with sweet potatoes, pomegranate arils, feta cheese, and toasted hazelnuts. 

Notes: 

• This is a great salad to make for a week of lunches, because it just gets more delicious as the week goes on. The flavors start to meld and work really well togethers. 
• Store all the toppings separate from the leek-quinoa, because they will get mushy. 
• Pomegranate molasses is a specialty ingredient. It adds a lovely tartness to this salad that would otherwise be super savory from the brothy quinoa. If you don’t have access to it, try using honey or maple syrup. You may find you want a bit more acid from lemon juice or added vinegar when you taste your dressing. 
• If you don’t have white balsamic vinegar, substitute for white wine vinegar or regular balsamic vinegar. 
• If you don’t have shallots, substitute for yellow onions. 
• Goat cheese would also be lovely instead of feta. 
• Serve this dish with lamb or chicken skewers. Double your vinaigrette to use as a dipping sauce for any grilled meat. These would also be excellent with grilled halloumi or meatballs. I like it on it’s own for lunch salads.